The present disclosure generally relates to induction cooktop systems, and more particularly to an improved cooling system for an induction cooktop.
Induction cooktops heat conductive cooking utensils by magnetic induction. An induction cooktop applies high frequency (e.g. 20-100 Khz) current to an induction coil located underneath the cooking surface to generate a strong high frequency magnetic field above the induction coil. When a ferromagnetic conductive object or vessel, such as a pan, is placed over the induction coil, the magnetic field coupling from the induction coil generates eddy currents within the vessel. The eddy currents within the vessel cause the vessel to heat.
A cooktop using induction heating for cooking normally includes a housing or cabinet that supports a cooking surface. Typically, the cooking surface is made of glass or other non-magnetic and non-conductive material. One or more induction coils or elements are located underneath the cooking surface. The housing will generally also include the electronics and other electrical components needed to supply the high frequency electrical power to the induction coils. The electronic circuits are also typically mounted underneath the cooking surface of the cooktop, generally below the induction coils and enclosed in the housing. The electronic circuitry creates the high frequency electric current applied to the induction coils. The generation of the high frequency current supply to the coils results in thermal losses that must be dissipated. With the increasing heat dissipation from induction devices, as well as the need to reduce the depth of the housing, thermal management is an important element of induction cooktop product design. The heat that is generated needs to be dissipated in order to avoid excessive temperature buildup and damage to the electronics. Both the performance reliability and life expectancy of the induction cooktop can be negatively affected by higher component temperatures. Effective control of the operating temperature of induction cooktop components can result in increased life and more reliable performance.
One method of dissipating the heat generated by an induction cooktop is a fan that circulates air through the cabinet to cool the electronic components. These types of systems tend to draw air in from the bottom of the cabinet near the rear, and exhaust the air through openings in the front of the cabinet. In some cases, particularly where the induction cooktop is part of a system that includes other components or systems, such as a warming drawer or oven mounted below the cooktop, the cooktop exhaust airflow can recirculate to the air inlet, thus the hot exhaust air is drawn directly back into the air intake by the cooktop cooling fan, resulting in increased inlet air temperature to the induction cooktop, resulting in less cooling capacity to the electronics. In such a situation, the electronics are not cooled. The elevated temperature levels can lead to component failure or reduced component life and cooking performance.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a system that addresses at least some of the problems identified above.